CUBA – A Blessing I Never Expected
by Heather Thornton
I never imagined I would go to Cuba. In fact, when my friend first mentioned it, I said, “Well, I’m not going to Cuba…ever.” I should have known better than to draw lines with God. He always writes a better story than the one I’m trying to protect.
This year has been one of the hardest of my life: my husband’s addiction came to light in January , I faced serious health issues in April, my father suffered a stroke just before the trip, and everything from broken gates to broken air conditioners seemed to fall apart after the plane took off for Cuba. I questioned whether I had anything left to give. Yet God called me to go. And now I see He wasn’t sending me to give a blessing. He was sending me to receive one.
In Cuba, I learned what true blessing is. Not material comfort, but spiritual abundance. Not ease, but joy deeply rooted in Jesus alone. These Cuban women, who have so little by the world’s standards, carry a faith so deep and a joy so full that it cannot be explained, only felt. Worshiping, sharing meals, and praying together was a gift. They didn’t just hear my testimony shared during the Women’s Conference, they carried it with me. One by one, they wept with me and prayed over my father, my husband, my health. They served me with tears of intercession and love.
Here in the United States, we often have so much that we unknowingly put Jesus in a box. We rely on comfort more than Christ. But in Cuba, they rely on Jesus for everything and because of that, they know Him deeply. Their faith has marked me forever.
The night before we returned home from Cuba, my dad was rushed back to the hospital. So now, as I sit beside my father in his hospital room, I refuse to put Jesus back in that box. I am believing for healing. I am believing for freedom. And I know my Cuban sisters are still praying in agreement.
“Consider it pure joy… when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” James 1:2–4
I asked God to reveal Himself to me in ways I had never known. He did! God is calling you out of comfort. Go! Step out. Let Him reveal Himself in ways you have not yet known. The blessing on the other side is worth it. I am living proof! And … I am FOREVER changed for the better!
If you are interested in going to Cuba email me and I’ll give you the contact information of the organization I went with to Cuba.
Email: Heather@dentists4children.com
(Sent from my iPhone)